Cigarette lighter and dispenser



Sept. 23, 1969 A. JONCAS 3,468,454

CIGARETTE LIGHTER AND DISPENSER Filed Aug. 18, 1967 IN l [N TOR Z9- 2 25L); r QM WM PATf/Vf' AGENT Armand .lO/VCAS United States Patent 3,468,454 CIGARETTE LIGHTER AND DISPENSER Armand .Ioncas, St. Fraucois-de-Salle, Roberval, Quebec, Canada Filed Aug. 18, 1967, Ser. No. 661,707 Claims priority, application Canada, Aug. 23, 1966, 968,576 Int. Cl. A24f 15/10 US. Cl. 221-147 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention concerns a cigarette lighter and dispenser in which a lighter of the push-in type have means to hold the end of a cigarette against the heating element whereby the lighter can be used to bring the lighted cigarette to the users mouth.

This invention relates to an accessory particularly for installation in automobiles, and more specifically to a dispenser of lit cigarettes.

Objects of the present invention are to provide a cigarette lighter and dispenser which is of relatively simple and inexpensive construction, which can easily be installed on the dashboard of an automobile, and which makes it possible, by the simple handling of only one element of the device, to withdraw a cigarette from a container, to light it, and to bring it to the mouth of the smoker without having to touch the cigarette during the handling thereof, so as to avoid burns, and so as to permit lighting of a cigarette without taking the eyes oif the road.

The foregoing and other objects will appear more clearly from the ensuing description and from the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perpective view of the cigarette lighter and distributor according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial plan section along line 22 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal section of the device installed on top of the dashboard of an automobile, the section being taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a cross-section along line 4-4 of FIG- URE 2.

In the drawings common reference numerals indicate the sameelements.

The device according to the invention comprises a base 1, in the shape of a generally rectangular plate or block which can be secured, for example, to the top 2 of the dashboard of an automobile.

For purposes of installation on a dashboard top 2, the base I may be provided with lateral legs 3 carrying suction cups 4, or the base 1 will preferably be secured to the dashboard top 2 by means of a hollow bolt 5 with a nut 6 and a washer 7.

The hollow bolt 5 provides an earthing connection, since it is in contact with the metallic dashboard top 2, while an electric wire, not shown, passes through the axial hole of the bolt 5 and through a lateral opening 8, to be connected to a contact 9, so as to complete the electric circuit of the lighter element of the device.

A container 10 is removably secured onto the base 1. The container 10 comprises a generally rectangular box adapted to contain, for example, two vertical rows or stacks of cigarettes 11 which are horizontally disposed, the two stacks being side by side and the cigarettes being moved longitudinally with respect to the device and to the container 10.

The container preferably carries at the top a cover 12 which is pivoted by a hinge 13, the cover 12 being opened to insert cigarettes into the container. In addition the con- 3,468,454 Patented Sept. 23, 1969 tainer comprises at the front a second cover 14 pivoted thereto by means of a hinge 15, which cover serves to close a dispenser opening 16, which is located at the rear bottom corner of the container 10 and which is extended along the side walls of the container by cut-outs 17.

The cut-outs 17 make it easier to remove a cigarette from the container 10 when the same is lifted off the base .1 and is used as a cigarette case which may be carried in the pocket.

To hold the container 10 in place on the base 1, the container may be provided at the base thereof with a transverse flange 18 which engages frictionally into a corresponding transverse groove of the base 1; a permanent magnet arrangement may also be provided between the container 10 and the base 1.

A casing 19 is secured on the base 1 and is provided with a rear opening 20 and a front opening 21. On the bottom 22 of the casing 19 are mounted three rails, namely two external rails 23 of L-shaped cross-section and a central rail 24 of inverter T-shaped cross-section, as shown in FIGURE 4.

These rails define two parallel passages disposed side by side, the central axis of each such passage being disposed within the vertical plane of the two stacks of cigarettes in the container 10, which is alined with the casing 19.

The internal ends of the rails 23 and 24 have vertical shoulders 25. These internal ends of the rails 23 and 24 terminate short of the container 10.

The contact 9 comprises a central vertical leg 27 secured to the bottom of a transverse recess 28 of the base 1 with the intermediary of an electric insulator if base 1 itself is not made of electric insulating material. The leg 27 extends freely through an opening 29 of the bottom of the casing 19 and carries at its upper end two horizontal fingers 30 each of which is disposed in one of the passages defined by rails 23 and 24.

The two fingers 30 form an element which is Y-shaped in plan as shown in FIGURE 2. These fingers are of a metal whose resiliency decreases When subjected to heat.

The device according to the invention further comprises a lighter, generally indicated at 31, and consisting of a push-button 32 secured to the end of a rod 33 which is in turn rigidly secured to a trough-shaped element 34 of elongated shape open at the top and defined by a base 35, a rear transverse wall 36, two lateral longitudinal walls 37 and a front transverse wall 41.

The rod 33 is rigidly secured to the rear wall 36 and is alined with the trough 34. The longitudinal walls 37 are provided with elongated slots 38. A piston 39 is mounted for movement within the slots 38. The piston is in the shape of a transverse plate which is vertically disposed and has narrowed ends which enter the slots 38 and are adapted to slide along one of the external rails 23 and along the internal rail 24 up to a position where the piston abuts against the shoulders 25 of the said rails.

A compression spring 40 is disposed between the piston 39 and the wall 36 and normally keeps the piston 39 against the forward ends of the slots 38.

A lighter element 42 is secured to the front transverse partition 41. This lighter element comprises outside the wall 41 an electric burner 43 in the shape of a spirally wound wire, the inner end of which is electrically connected to the metallic trough 34, while the external end of the spiral burner element 43 is adapted to removably contact one of the fingers 30 of contact 9.

The lighter element 42 is, as previously mentioned, rigidly secured to the front end of the trough 34 and is provided with a pin 44 which extends forwardly along the central axis of the burner 43. This pin is rigidly secured to the lighter element and to the trough 34 and it is sur- 3 rounded by a guide 45 also rigidly secured to the end of the trough 34 and alined therewith.

The guide 45 has a partly cylindrical section open at the top and at the outer end and is coaxial with the pin 44. The guide 45 extends beyond the point of the pin 44 and its longitudinal edges are located at a higher level than the pin.

The diameter of the guide 45 is slightly greater than the diameter of a cigarette 11.

The lighter 31 is longitudinally displaceable within the casing 19 being guided by either one of the passages defined by the central rail 24 and either one of the external rails 23. The lighter may be completely removed from the casing 19 through the rear opening 20 thereof. The lighter 31 is inserted into one or the other of the said passages by first inserting the pin 44 and the guide 45 and holding the lighter by the push-button 32.

The base 35 and the longitudinal walls 37 slide along the central rail 24 and one of the external rails 23 and the piston 39 slides along the top of rails 23 and 24 until the piston abuts against the shoulders 25 of said rails. The push-button is pushed further in thereby causing additional displacement of the trough 34 towards the container 10. The piston 39 remains stationary but the trough is displaced thus compressing the spring 49. The pin 44 enters the center of the tip of the lowermost cigarette 11 of the cigarette stack and the guide 45 surrounds the tip of the cigarette.

The tip of the cigarette comes in contact with the burner 43 of the lighter. In this position of the burner the lighter element 42 has of course bypassed the end of fingers 30 and the spring 40 is under relatively strong compression. The push-button 32 is now released and the trough 34 moves away from the container under the action of spring 40 until the rounded end of finger 30 comes into contact with the burner 43.

The external face of the burner 43 has a suitable groove (not shown) such that the finger 30 retains the burner 43. At this stage the spring 40 is still slightly under compression. The finger 30 completes the electric circuit of the burner 43. The burner becomes red-hot and lights the tip of the cigarette which is in contact therewith.

The finger 30 heats up and gradually loses its elastic strength and at a given temperature it releases the burner 43 whereupon the trough 34 is again displaced under the action of spring 40 in a direction away from container 10 until the lighter element 41 abuts against the piston 39. This produces a click which lets the smoker know that it is time to withdraw the cigarette, as the same is now lit. In this limiting rest position the finger 30 is out of contact with the burner 43. The smoker now fully withdraws the trough 34 by means of the push-button 32; the cigarette is still held in contact with the burner by means of the pin 44 and of the guide 45. The user may thus, by holding the lighter 31, insert the other end of the cigarette directly between his lips, and while thus holding the cigarette he can pull on the lighter 31 so as to disengage the pin 44 from the lighted end of the cigarette. He then replaces the lighter into the casing 19, but without compressing the spring 40, which means in practice that he inserts the trough 34 until the piston 39, while still remaining in place against the ends of the slots 38, comes into engagement with the shoulder 25. In this rest position the finger 30 is out of contact with the burner 43. To pull out another cigarette it will be suflicient to push the lighter as far as it will go, wait for the click and withdraw the lighter, which will then carry a lighted cigarette.

The lighter 31 may be inserted in either one of the two passages defined by the rails 23 and 24 and will thus come in contact with one or the other of the two fingers 30 and will withdraw a cigarette from one or the other of the stacks of cigarettes in the container 10. The two stacks of cigarettes may comprise cigarettes of difierent type,

such as plain and filter-tip cigarettes. or they may comprise cigarettes of the same type in which case once one stack is exhausted, cigarettes may be removed from the other stack.

Of course the device according to the invention may be so constructed as to provide only one passage, in which case the container would only have one stack of cigarettes or it would have several stacks but such that the lowermost cigarette takes up a unique position.

The pin 44 positively retains the cigarette in contact with the burner 43 of the lighter 42 and the guide 45 helps to hold the cigarette aligned with the lighter and thus serves as a protection against the relatively sharp point of the pin 44, and also helps to prevent burns which could be caused by the burner or by the lighted tip of the cigarette.

The container 10 may be secured in a permanent manner to the base 1, but, as aforementioned, it is preferably removable so that it may be used as a cigarette case to be carried in the pocket.

The bottom of the base 1 is preferably provided with a felt or rubber sheet 46 to prevent scratches on the dashboard top 2, and to prevent vibration of the device.

The electric wire which passes through the bolt 5 and through the lateral hole 8 of this bolt is preferably directly connected to the contact 9, while earthing takes place through the trough 34 in contact with the casing 19 which is in turn in contact with the dashboard top 2 of the automobile through the intermediary of the bolt 5.

It is further possible to provide a single passage for the lighter in combination with a multiple stack container which would be slidable sideways with respect to the base 10 to enable the smoker to select a cigarette from one of several stacks.

While the device has been illustrated as being mounted on the top of the dashboard, it is also possible to mount it within the dashboard with the opening 20 along the vertical side of the dashboard. Suitable measures will of course have to be taken to make the container 10 accessible for replenishing the supply of cigarettes.

It will be noted that, if the lighter is not removed after the click, for example through forgetfulness, the cigarette 11 in contact with the burner 43 will go out by itself in a short time, since the burner is out of contact with the finger 30, and the guide 45 cuts off the supply of oxygen to the cigarette from the bottom and thus effectively smothers the lighted cigarette since the air drifting in from the sides and the top does not supply sufiicient circulation to maintain combustion.

The device according to the invention may also be used as a simple lighter without pulling a cigarette from the container 10, in case it is desired to light a cigarette from an outside source or a cigar. For this purpose the rod 33 is provided with a sideways projecting stop pin 50 which engages the edge of casing 19 at the bottom of the opening 20 thereof. The pin 50 is disposed in such a position as to stop the inward movement of the lighter 31 at a position where the finger 30 is in contact with the burner 43 so as to close the circuit thereof. The pin 44, therefore, does not reach a cigarette in the container 10. By turning the push-button 32 and the rod 33, which in this case are rotatably mounted with respect to the trough 34, the pin 50 may be aligned with the sides or top of the opening 20 in which position it will bypass the casing edge and allow further inward movement of the lighter as above described.

What I claim is:

1. A cigarette lighter and dispenser comprising a cigarette supply station, a casing, a cigarette lighter longitudinally slidable within said casing and removable therefrom, said lighter having a burner at the inner end thereof and a pin projecting from said burner, said pin being aligned with said cigarette supply station, means in said casing defining a contact position for said burner, said lighter being slidable inwardly with said burner past said contact position to a collecting position wherein said pin enters the tip of a cigarette at said supply station, said casing having stop means, said lighter carrying a spring and an abutting element engaged by said spring movable in and protruding from said lighter, said abutting element engageable with said stop means and stressing said spring when said burner is in said contact and collecting positions, said contact position defining means being heat actuated to release said lighter from the action of said spring when the burner reaches a predetermined temperature whereupon said spring returns said lighter to a position in which said burner is in a position outwardly of said contact position.

2. A cigarette lighter and dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said lighter comprises a trough carrying said burner at one end thereof, and a push rod at the opposite end, said abutting element being a piston slidably mounted References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,129,888 9/1938 Tamarin 221213 X 2,177,188 10/1939 Pengilly 22l--147 X 2,528,583 11/1950 Ellis 221-147 2,361,879 10/1944 Schumann 2212l3 X SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner 

